Well, if your stereo has a 1/8" stereo jack, basically a headphones jack input, then you can just get a male-to-male 1/8" stereo cable to hook it up to the stereo. If you want better quality look to the M-Audio Sonica Theater to provide digital out over coax or the M-Audio Transit to provide digital out over toslink_________________Computer Engineer
Junior, Brown University
15" NC8430 HP Laptop
1.42Ghz PPC Mac Mini, 1Gb RAM, 1st Gen
40GB G4 iPod
2GB Black iPod Nano

You should consider getting an Airport Express if the stereo is in another room. You can stream music with AirTunes to the receiver from your Mac mini if it has AE. I'm looking to do this myself.

I second the Airport Express, it's what I use. It has optical out or standard line out to connect to your stereo, a USB print server, and can be used as a router._________________1.42Ghz
1GB RAM
200GB FW HDD (Boot drive)
80GB HDD
External DVD burner
45.23 Xbench 1.2 average
FireWire Boot Guide

You can stream music with AirTunes to the receiver from your Mac mini if it has AE. I'm looking to do this myself.

It also works with wired computers. My PC and mini are not wireless and I can stream to them. The Airport Express can also be connected and streamed to through an ethernet cable but you lose router functionality.

Currently I stream from my wired mini to the Airport Express which is connected wirelessly to my network. It is a very versatile device._________________1.42Ghz
1GB RAM
200GB FW HDD (Boot drive)
80GB HDD
External DVD burner
45.23 Xbench 1.2 average
FireWire Boot Guide

To give you a good answer, we need to know a few things. What inputs does your stereo have? How far is it from your mini? Are cords going to be an issue? What's your budget? How important is sound quality? How often will it be used? Do you have or do you plan on buying an iPod?

anyhow:
If your stereo has RCA inputs (which it should) and you want a low cost solution:

Get a 1/8" (3.5mm) to 2 RCA plugs (Left,Right) adapter.

Plug it into your stereo, just like you would a CD player, tuner, cassette deck etc.

Hint:
Use the input that says aux. (auxillary) as it's the least confusing to identify as your mini, when you're switching between components.

Note: You can run a RCA cable over a great distance. You can buy this cable in a 25' easily. You can also use connectors to extend it as long as needed.

If you want to hook external speakers up to your computer as well. You will need a 1/8" male to (2) 1/8" females "Y" adapter.

Plug the aforementioned "Y" cable into one of the females and your speakers into the other.

Again as mentioned before an Airport Express is the most elegant set-up, but it is also the most expensive. You can do what I said for under $20, and put the rest of the money towards beer.

The FM transmitter is cheap wireless option. This is something you may want to consider if you have an iPod. You'll be able to listen to music anywhere there is a radio.

If your stereo has RCA inputs (which it should) and you want a low cost solution:

Get a 1/8" (3.5mm) to 2 RCA plugs (Left,Right) adapter.

Plug it into your stereo, just like you would a CD player, tuner, cassette deck etc.

Hint:
Use the input that says aux. (auxillary) as it's the least confusing to identify as your mini, when you're switching between components.

Note: You can run a RCA cable over a great distance. You can buy this cable in a 25' easily. You can also use connectors to extend it as long as needed.

If you want to hook external speakers up to your computer as well. You will need a 1/8" male to (2) 1/8" females "Y" adapter.

Plug the aforementioned "Y" cable into one of the females and your speakers into the other.

Again as mentioned before an Airport Express is the most elegant set-up, but it is also the most expensive. You can do what I said for under $20, and put the rest of the money towards beer.

One must also remember that the output of the mini's audio is not line level, it is a headphone jack. You have to be carful not to overdrive the line input of your stereo. You also have to make sure the audio volume isn't too low.

Well, they say it's a line out / headphone. I don't buy it. To me, a true line out is not effected by any enternal volume control. IMO, it's like saying the headphone out on an iPod is a line out.

It's easy to do both..the mac will have an impedance detection circuit i would assume..if it detects headphone impedance it'll adjust the levels for that..if it detects a line level impedance then it'll adjust for that.

Alot of line level digital stuff have adjustable outputs these days...only the really frilly high end cd players for example, would have a fixed and a variable o/p.

But you don't want to drive the output of your mac too hard. The output amp will start clipping and ruin your speakers, I doubt you'll ruin the input stage of your amp if you go into the aux input, that should easily take 2-3 volts through it.

For optimal sound quality drive both your amp and mini at about 60%. If it ain't loud enough buy some more sensitive speakers...sorry for going on but audio's my job...lol.

Take it easy,Warlock _________________i hate wearing trousers in public!!!

You can stream music with AirTunes to the receiver from your Mac mini if it has AE. I'm looking to do this myself.

It also works with wired computers. My PC and mini are not wireless and I can stream to them. The Airport Express can also be connected and streamed to through an ethernet cable but you lose router functionality.

Currently I stream from my wired mini to the Airport Express which is connected wirelessly to my network. It is a very versatile device.

Well, they say it's a line out / headphone. I don't buy it. To me, a true line out is not effected by any internal volume control. IMO, it's like saying the headphone out on an iPod is a line out.

Actuallly, they do call that a line out now. The term seems to be getting thrown around a lot in the 'puter world. Try going into a pro audio environment and calling a headphone out "line" level.

Anyway, AirPort Express is a handy device, but not exactly a multi-room solution, and more importantly, prone to the occasional disconnect. I know how lame dead-air can be at parties, especially if your Mac is at the center of it, so go with cable and splitters connected to the headphone out (line).